Warning light



Nov. 16, 1937. y E. E. HIGHFILL Re- 20,552,

WARNING LIGHT Original Filed July 2'?, 1954 BY y TTORNE Reissuecl Nov. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES WARNING LIGHT Ernest Earl nighnu, deceased, me of Los Angeles, Calif., by Jesse D. Langdon, Los Angeles, Calif., assignee, assignor of two-thirds to George J Kilgen and Edward Angeles, Calif.y

W. Todd, both of Los Original No. 2,024,858, dated December 17, 1935, Serial No, 737,316, July 27, 1934. 'Application for reissue May 1l, 1937, Serial No. 142,074:l

e claims. (ci. zio-a3) f This invention relates to warningv lights of tlie class designed particularly for application to the `rear ends of trucks and trailers and to be employedas a means enabling the road clearance between the truck and an adjacent sideof a roadway to be readily discerned by approaching drivers from behind, and an object is to provide a simple and exceedingly edective form of support'on which the lamp is mounted, whereby to 0 'prevent premature breakage of the lament of the lamp incident to the eil'ect of sudden harsh shocks and jars imparted thereto, the support being of `a springy or resilient nature and, aside from functioning'as set forth, mayr readily ex 1 and not be injured when brought into wiping contact with any object that may reside in,its path.

Another object is to simplify-the construction of such devices and to provide a small -number of co-operable parts that can be quickly assembled. l

A further object is to provide a device of this character whereinsimple and positively acting means are employed for forming a ground con- '25 nection between the metallic lamp housing oi' -the device and the chassis of the Vehicle on which the device is mounted.

With the above and other objects` in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement of parts which will hereinafter be fully describedand particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing has been illustrated a single and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitations are necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modincations within the scope of theclaims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawing A f Figure 1 is a view of a warning light in front (elevation: V

Figure 2 is a view of the warning light in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a view of the warning light in rear elevation Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional vie'w 4on thellneI--I ofFlgure 1;- 1. 60 lll'lgure 5 is a fragmentary sectionalview on 'thelinel-IofFlgure 3. 1

In carrying the invention into practice, use is made of a support 5 constructed preferably from non-metallic flatlstrip material such as rmulti-ply canvas, in which the plies are to each other. The support has riveted thereto at B an angular metal bracket 'I whose flange 8 is formed with openings 9 whereby the bracket can be secured in thev desired position to the chassis or lsome other -metallic parto! the vehicle.` 5

The support '5 has an opening lil passing therethrough and cao-operable therewith is a lamp housing consisting'of a set of annuli Il, I2 and I3, betweenthe one of which designated I I. and the one designated I2 the ilat strip material il is 10 interposed in a. manner to axially aline its opening 9 with said annuli.

The annulus I2 of the set employed is situated outwardly of the annulus II and the latter inwardly of the annulus I3 and, as illustrated, all of 15 these annuli are secured together and to the strip 5 by rivets Il. l

All of the annulil II, I2 and I3 are of .the same diameter, the annuli Il and I2 being substantially identical and, except for the annular 20 strengthening beads Ida, which are upset therefrom, they are substantially at. This is to en. able them to be firmly clamped. against the opposite sides of the strip 5. The annulus I3 is formed with a lens mounting I5 which consists 25 of an annular flared flange I6 which embraces the flanges I'I of a conical lens I8. The at face I9 of the flange I1 is firmly seated against the adjacent flat face of the annulus II and held there bythe split ring 20, the latter being re- 30 movably contained in the space between the lens and the inner wall of the aforesaid flange IB. On reference to Figure 4 ofthe drawing, it will be observed that a considerable portion o1' the annulus II is disposed in back ofthe lens I8, and 35 this surface is preferably polished or silvered, or

the annulus otherwise formed to provide a light reflector.

An electric lamp socket 2| -constitutes a part of the aforementioned lamp housing and passing 40 therethrough is a conductor wire 2Ia having at its end within they socket a disk 22. From one side of the disk is exposed a circuit-making con- (me ,QI the 4fastening rivets B. The other 55 the socket and some other metallic part of the vehicle th'ere is provided a binding post 25, the latter passing through the support 5 and the respective annuli Il, I2 and I3. To, this post a wire may fbe run from the metallic part that established the ground connection.

The form of device herein shown and descri-bed is such that sudden shocks vand jars `played from the vehicle.

that are imparted thereto will be largely absorbed by the flexible and more or less springy and resilient support 5, thus preventing premature breakage of the viilament ofthe lamp. In addition thereto, the support is of a construction to enable the lamp to be eectively dis- Because of the lpositions in which such devices are by law com'- pelled to be mounted upon a vehicle, ythey are,-

at some time or other, liable to accidentally contact with various obstructions, such as passing vehicles or xed objects of one sort or another. It follows, from the flexible nature of the support 5, that should-it be accidentally brought into contact with obstructions., it will merely flex or be temporarily shifted from its intended display position and will readily return to its normal position, as will be appreciated.

What is claimed is: i

1. A warning light comprising a flat strip of resilient self-supporting material having an opening extending therethrough, annuli disposed at the opposite sides of the strip in alinement with the opening, means for rigidly clamping the annuli to the strip and to each other, an electric lamp socket secured to one annulus and in a position to dispose a lamp in the opening, and a lens removably secured to the other annulus to enclose the lamp.

2. A warning lamp comprising a pair of alined annuli, a light reflector disposed at the inner face of one of the annuli, an electric lamp ysocket carried by the other annulus for disposing a lamp in iront of the reflector, a support of resilient strip material interposed between said other annulus and the reflector and secured to both annuli and the reflector and a lens detachably secured to said one of the annuli to enclose the lamp.

3. A warning light comprising a support of` resilient, non-metallic, flat strip material having an opening therethrough at one end; av metallic attaching bracket at the opposite end of the support on which the support is adapted to freely yield in response to shocks and jars imparted thereto; a lamp housing including a pair of annuli between which said one end of the support'is clamped with the openings in the latter and-said one of the annuli coinciding; meansby which a lamp is adapted to be mounted in the other annulus to project through said openings; and a lens detachably secured to the lamp housing to enclose the lamp.

4. A warning light comprising a flat strip of resilient self-supporting material having an opening extending therethrough, a lamphousing cooperable with said strip and consisting of annuli,

disposed at the opposite sides of said strip in alignment with said opening; an electric. lamp socket secured to one annulus and in a position to dispose a lamp in the opening, and a lens rel movably secured `to the other annulus to enclose said body concentric with said opening and properipheral beadretained withinsaid rim, forming a chamber for the globe of said lamp, and electrical connections for said socket,

6. A warning lamp comprising a substantially flat support of resilient vulcanized material, relatively narrow at one end, mounting means at-said narrow end, said support aring toward its other end and terminating in a substantially circular body portion, an opening through said body, a lamp socket housing on one side of said body adjacent said opening, a lamp socket retained by said housing and adapted to receive the shank of an electric lamp inserted through said opening, a lens retaining rim on the other side of said body concentric with said opening and projecting radially inwardly with respect thereto, a cup shaped lens having a peripheral bead re- 'tained within rsaid rim, forming a chamber for 

